Art credit: ArtOfRivana from DeviantArt
Finally! I have stumbled upon the
Vampiress! Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt's novel 'Dracula The Undead' (2010) is
one of the many sequels to Bram Stoker's original classic. But who
better to write a sequel than Bram's own great-grandnephew? The
vampire figure here comes in the form of Countess Elizabeth Bathroy.
The Countess is a ruthlessly cruel woman who kills for sport rather
than purpose. Now, there are some notable differences between the
vampires within this novel and the vampires within Bram Stoker's
piece. One notable difference in Dacre Stoker's novel, is that the
Countess seems much stronger than her predecessor, the Count. She has
the ability to control her victim's mind and make them see what she
wants them to see. Her five senses are tenfold that of a normal
human's, which in itself, is already pretty intimidating.
What does, however, make this novel
interesting is the mix with a notable unsolved historical case, Jack the Ripper. Among many of theories associated with the terrifying
serial killer, Holt and Dacre have chosen to associate the Ripper
with the vampire figure.
Let us return to the topic of the
Countess, herself. The vampiress dresses like the traditional Dracula
figure with her well-tailored suits cutting a distinguished air.
This, in turn, gives her a powerful masculine presence. Not someone
you want to mess with.
Check out the novel and you might find
a few unexpected surprises. For all those who haven't read the novel,
is it something you would be interested in reading?
